On the latest edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Jeff talks with Polly Kent, who retired earlier this year as MDOT’s chief policy analyst. As administrator of the department’s intermodal policy and asset management division, Polly provided analysis on transportation funding to several administrations. She talks about the decades-long debate about a sustainable funding source for transportation infrastructure in Michigan, including her role in providing data that informed Gov. Whitmer’s Fixing Michigan Roads Fund proposal.

Other topics:

Fixing Michigan Roads Fund
https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9620_91685---,00.html

Cost of highway trust fund insolvency
https://www.enotrans.org/article/cbo-updates-10-year-cost-of-htf-solvency-to-176-billion/

The myth that Michigan is a donor state and could draw more federal funds for roads
http://on.freep.com/1D1F2Xr

US Chamber pushes a federal infrastructure bill
https://www.ttnews.com/articles/infrastructure-bill-possible-trump-congressional-leadership-chamber-says

Regressive thinking: devolving highway funding to states
https://www.ttnews.com/articles/heritage-foundation-endorses-devolution-fund-highway-projects

21st Century Infrastructure Commission
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/snyder/21st_Century_Infrastructure_Commission_Final_Report_1_544276_7.pdf